Thunderstorm Wind, Berks
- When
- July 14, 2:42 PM EST
- Where
- Berks County, 2 mi E of Womelsdorf
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 40.367, -76.150
Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, July 14, 2004
A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous trees in Heidelberg Township. Several roads were blocked.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous trees in Heidelberg Township. Several roads were blocked. About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power throughout the county. All but 500 were restored by midnight. The rest had power restored on the 15th.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 14, 8:40 AM EST, 6 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 14, 8:40 AM EST, 6 hours 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 940 AM EDT WED JUL 14 2004 FCST WILL BE UPDATED TO REMOVE MRNG WORDING AND EXTEND THE FLOOD WATCH FTHR N. WHL FFG IS HIER IN OUR NRN ZONES...ONGOING SUPPORT FOR HVYR PCPN IS ALSO THERE. CONCERNED ABT CLUSTER CUR IN THE MID SUSQ VLY PLUS ANY REGENERATION LTR TDY. AS FAR AS ORGANIZED SVR WX THREAT IS CONCERNED...IT LOOKS LESS AS LO CLDS ARE HANGING IN TOUGHER AND THE 06Z ETA APRS TO BE MDL OF CHOICE. THE GFS IS ALRDY TOO SLOW WITH ONGOING PCPN AS IT APRS TO MERGE THE TWO SEPARATE SYS INTO ONE. FIRST SHOT OF PCPN COMES THRU ARND MID-DAY W/O ENUF TIME TO TAP INTO THE HIER CAPES AND 2ND SHOT MAY ARRIVE TOO LATE TO CAUSE DAMAGING WINDS THIS EVE. AREA OF CONCERN RMNS IN SRN NJ/DELMARVA WHERE HIEST FCSTD CAPES RMN PLUS THERE STILL RMNS A THETA E DROP OF 15C WITH HGT AS DRIER AIR IN MID LVLS IS FCST TO MOVE IN TAFTN. .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT PAZ054-055-060>062-067>071. NJ...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT NJZ001-007>010-012-015>020-027. DE...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT DEZ001. MD...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT MDZ008. MARINE/OCEAN...NONE. MARINE/DEL BAY...NONE. GORSE/GIGI PREV AFD *********************************************************** .OVERVIEW... MODELS REMAIN IN AGREEMENT THAT VIGOROUS SHORT WAVE TROF WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION LATE TODAY THEN BECOME SEMI-STNRY INTO NEXT WEEK AS IT MATURES INTO A LONG WAVE TROF. THIS SHLD KEEP FA IN A GENERAL SFC TROF PATTERN WITH OCNL LOW PRES FRMTN AND FNTL PASSAGES REFLECTING UPPER AIR DYNAMICS. && .SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... FLOOD WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT TODAY INTO THIS EVENING FOR THE CENTRAL SECTION OF THE FA THAT RECEIVED THE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL MON. SEE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES SECTION BELOW FOR COUNTIES IN FLOOD WATCH...AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION. && .LONG TERM (THU NGT THRU TUE)... THIS WILL SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD...BUT ONE CLOSED VORTEX OVR THE NERN U.S. IS FCSTD TO BE REPLACED BY ANOTHER. THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE WILL NOT BE ANY RECORD BREAKING HEAT IN THE FCST OR TRULY OPPRESIVE SUMMER HUMIDITY LVLS. THE BAD NEWS IS WITH COLD AIR ALF THIS WILL LEND ITSELF TO AFTN/EVE SHRA/TSRA EVERY DAY THRU MON. THERE WILL BE PBLY BE A DRY DAY BTWN THE VORTICES (PSBLY FRI?)...BUT THIS IS NOT PSBL TO TIME AT THIS JUNCTURE. ON THE OTHER HAND SUN LOOKS LIKE THE WETTEST OR MOST WDPSRD PCPN DAY OF THE LONG TERM. && .HYDROLOGY... FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT INTO THIS EVENING FOR LOW FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE VALUED COUNTIES. MORE WIDELY SCTD ACTVTY THIS MRNG, XPCTD TO BECOME MORE NUMEROUS THIS AFTN WITH APPROACH AND PASSAGE OF COLD FNT. && .MARINE... WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SCA CRITERIA THROUGH THE PERIOD. A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING SHOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH TSTMS WHICH COULD HAVE GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS. ALSO SOME SHOWERS AND TSTMS MOVING ENE OUT OF MD COULD AFFECT THE AREA EARLY THIS AM. && .AVIATION... CLOUDS 1500 TO 2000 FT WERE OVER MOST OF THE REGION NE OF PHL WITH ANOTHER AREA OF LOW CLOUD MOVING IN FROM MD AND THE SHOWERS AND TSTMS THERE. THESE SHOWERS AND TSTMS COULD AFFECT MOST AVIATION STATIONS EARLY THIS AM...FOLLOWED BY A DRY PERIOD INTO THIS AFTN. THEN ANOTHER ROUND OF TSTMS IS EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING DOWN FROM THE NW. && .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT PAZ060-067>071. NJ...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT NJZ009-010-012-015-017>020-027. DE...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT DEZ001. MD...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT MDZ008. MARINE/OCEAN...NONE. MARINE/DEL BAY...NONE. SHORT TERM/WOODWORTH/LONG TERM/GORSE
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 14, 9:15 AM EST, 5 hours 27 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION FOR SOFTWARE GLITCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 1015 AM EDT WED JUL 14 2004 DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-151015- ATLANTIC NJ-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY NJ-BERKS PA-BUCKS PA-CAMDEN NJ- CAPE MAY NJ-CARBON PA-CAROLINE MD-CECIL MD-CHESTER PA- COASTAL ATLANTIC NJ-COASTAL OCEAN NJ-CUMBERLAND NJ-DELAWARE PA- DELAWARE BEACHES DE-EASTERN MONMOUTH NJ-GLOUCESTER NJ-HUNTERDON NJ- INLAND SUSSEX DE-KENT MD-KENT DE-LEHIGH PA-MERCER NJ-MIDDLESEX NJ- MONROE PA-MONTGOMERY PA-MORRIS NJ-NEW CASTLE DE-NORTHAMPTON PA- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON NJ-OCEAN NJ-PHILADELPHIA PA-QUEEN ANNES MD- SALEM NJ-SOMERSET NJ-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON NJ-SUSSEX NJ-TALBOT MD- WARREN NJ-WESTERN MONMOUTH NJ- 1015 AM EDT WED JUL 14 2004 .DAY ONE...TODAY A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, MOST OF CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY, EXTREME NORTHEAST MARYLAND AND NORTHERN NEW JERSEY. LOCALIZED AMOUNTS UP TO AROUND THREE INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NO LONGER EXPECTED LATER TODAY. NEVERTHELESS THERE COULD BE A COUPLE OF ISOLATED PULSE TYPE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE GREATEST VULNERABILITY IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY AND THE DELMARVA PENINSULA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MIGHT BE REQUIRED TODAY IN THE ABOVE MENTIONED FLOOD WATCH. TFG
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 14, 8:45 AM EST, 5 hours 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 945 AM EDT WED JUL 14 2004 DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ016>019-021>025-027-PAZ054- 060>062-067>071-141715- ATLANTIC NJ-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY NJ-BERKS PA-BUCKS PA-CAMDEN NJ- CAPE MAY NJ-CARBON PA-CAROLINE MD-CECIL MD-CHESTER PA- COASTAL ATLANTIC NJ-CUMBERLAND NJ-DELAWARE PA-DELAWARE BEACHES DE- GLOUCESTER NJ-INLAND SUSSEX DE-KENT MD-KENT DE-LEHIGH PA- MONTGOMERY PA-NEW CASTLE DE-NORTHAMPTON PA- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON NJ-PHILADELPHIA PA-QUEEN ANNES MD-SALEM NJ- SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON NJ-TALBOT MD- 945 AM EDT WED JUL 14 2004 ...THE THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS DIMINISHED FOR LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... THE COMBINATION OF THE ONGOING MARINE INFLUENCE FROM THE DEPARTING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT INUNDATED PARTS OF THE REGION MONDAY PLUS THE ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT TO ENTER THE AREA BOTH WILL STABILIZED THE AIR MASS ENTERING THIS AFTERNOON. THEREFORE WHEN OTHER THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP LATER TODAY...THEY ARE NO LONGER EXPECTED TO BECOME AN ORGANIZED LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THERE STILL REMAINS THE CHANCE THAT A COUPLE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY TURN SEVERE. THE GREATEST CONCERN REMAINS THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN IN LOCATIONS THAT FLOODED OR STILL HAVE ONGOING FLOODING. PLEASE REFER TO THE FLOOD WATCH STATEMENT FOR FURTHER DETAILS. GIGI/GORSE
The radar
The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 155 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:42 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, July 14, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, July 14, 2004
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, July 14, 2004
- Tornado and Hail in Maryland, July 14, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, July 14, 2004
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, July 14, 2004
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in New York, July 14, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 14, 2004
- Flash Flood in California, July 14, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 14, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, July 14, 2004
- Wildfire in California, July 14, 2004
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, July 2004
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5417098.